THE SPONGE PARK

Sponge Park was awarded 1st place in a design competition for the re-envisioning of the Jiaomen River Waterfront in Nansha, China. Based on existing and adjacent land-use patterns, three core strategies were developed under the principle of using the park’s landscape system as infrastructure: the Urban Sponge, Community Sponge, and the Ecology Sponge. Each zone is imbued with the capabilities to respond to flooding and provide ecosystem services such as water purification and wildlife habitat creation. A continuous multi-modal circuit connects neighborhoods and surrounding corridors to plazas, recreational platforms, and viewing towers along the site. Sponge Park envisions a waterfront park that improves Jiaomen River’s water quality, enhances ecological capacity, connects to regional circulation networks, and provides a platform for diversified urban programs.